Title: According to His Pleasure 

Subject: The Pleasure of God
Summary: Martin Collins examines the context in which God "took pleasure" in Christ's being bruised or crucified. The satisfaction was not in the pain and suffering that His only Son endured, but in the ultimate goal of adding multitudinous members to His spiritual family. Our collective sins, not God's anger, bruised and crucified Jesus Christ. Our healing is the poignant trade-off of Christ's brutal beating and suffering; by His stripes we were healed. Because of our culpability in His suffering and death, we need to carefully discern the Lord's body. God the Father takes pleasure in Christ's sacrifice because Christ voluntarily submitted Himself in order to expose the horrors of sin, to demonstrate the justice and mercy of God, and to bring about the pardon of all of mankind. God's will and purpose for mankind will not be annulled. As part of this purpose, we must realize that not all we are required to do will be pleasant. When persecution happens to us, we need to have confidence in the knowledge of God's will and His ability to make us Christ-like in these sufferings, bearing fruit, growing in His knowledge, becoming strengthened by His Holy Spirit, and remaining steadfastly grateful, allowing us to share in the inheritance of the saints, worthy to enter into His eternal family.

Keywords: Aresko Arestato Attributes of God Break the Assyrian Breaking of Unleavened Bread By His stripes we were healed Christ's broken body Christ's resurrection 'Cruelty' of God Discerning the Lord's body Faith False pleasure Glory of God God's creation God's family God's forbearance God's Law God's patience God's purpose for mankind God's sacrifice Healing, physical Healing, spiritual Heroes of faith Obedience to the point of death Knowledge of God's will Might of His glory Mystery of His will Penalty for sin 'Pleasure' in the death of the wicked Pleasure and pain Pleasure, false Pleasure, true Persecution Predestination Professional football example Propitiation Recipients of God's pleasure Repentance Sickness Spiritual family True pleasure Works of God